Most parts of Mabvuku and Tafara have had no water for the past couple of months, and with some of the new stands it’s almost a year or two now.

The residents are deeply concerned by the persistence of the water crisis in these suburbs despite the countless assurances by the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) that they will improve their service delivery. The residents of Mabvuku and Tafara are worried that the absence of running water is a health time bomb. There is always such a stench coming from the toilets and burst sewer pipes. The persistence of the water crisis simply means the constant exposure of the residents to a health disaster.

At first people used to walk a long distance to fetch clean water for cooking and drinking. Then a couple of weeks ago, I heard somebody offered to have some hand pump boreholes sunk in these two suburbs, none of them is working after only being used for almost a week.

Apart from that, it now appears almost every household in these two suburbs have dug their own wells at their own premises to save time and shorten the distance they would have traveled to look for clean water from relatives and friends living in Zimre Park and Greendale or from unprotected sources, a situation which threatens their dear lives.

The residents are worried and angry to see dry taps and burst sewer pipes everyday. I would like to remind ZINWA that it is not a privilege for residents to get clean water, but rather it is a right.

In a way I feel safe and much comfortable to support soccer than politics. But surprisingly soccer and politics are all games. There must be a game plan for the team to win, also there must be a game plan for the party to win.

However, supporters of either sides should feel safe and much more open to each other. It’s high time I think Zimbabwe should have that feeling for accommodating each other, just like soccer players moving from one club to another without being victimized. Playing for Dynamos this season and for Caps the next season. Supporters feeling the same freedom of choosing and discussing freely which team is doing well and worth supporting.

Politics also should have that freedom of accommodating players of different parties into the system to develop the nation. What is important at the end of the day is to have a vibrant nation. Otherwise the nation will remain a developing nation until kingdom come. A national team is composed of different players from different teams, all with different ways of attacking or solving a problem.

Zimbabweans, wherever you are,
whatever you are doing, or thinking of.
The only smart way of exercising your right
on the 27th June 2008, and in future
is your X, and not your Axe.

However, violence, can be stopped
In this beloved country Zimbabwe today
And in future if we all mark X with a pen
And not with an Axe.

An Axe is used for destruction, taking away
Life from our natural resources and humans.
A pen is used for nation building, making records
For future generations and future office bearers
Let’s all be wise, to use a pen to save lives.

An Axe doesn’t have records, hear me Zimbabweans
It only destructs nature, kills lives just like fire.
Wherever you go today, in prison, offices, schools,
Hotels, at a dip tank, even at a pre-school
You find a pen because it reflects peace and stability.

So, take the pen to stop violence, take the pen
To make records, take the pen to make history.

The history of Zimbabwe, was recorded with a pen!

Going over my son’s homework with him on the weekend, I realised that this Zimbabwean economy is affecting and confusing these children in primary schools.

Their mathematics textbooks rely on $ and c – that is dollars and cents. For an example 7c was shared amongst 7 pupils and each got one cent. Correct! Now, the reality is the teacher has to start explaining to the class what a cent is, before he/she is being asked that question. A 45 minute lesson will last an hour, trying to make some sense of cents in the face of these millions and billions.

The Ministry of Education should do something about this subject which is now proving to be difficult to teach, otherwise teachers will have to ignore cents and say million or billion or (mita and bidza) as is common with even pre-school kids these days. Whatever we are doing in this present Zimbabwe, let’s remember our children in primary school, because this is the foundation of the education system.

My grandfather used to tell me that if you want to die a miserable death, join politics, and that politics is a dirty game. The way we play draughts (tsoro), that’s the same way politics is, creating space in order to be the winner.

“When you join in a political fight by way of an election you must be prepared to lose,” President Mugabe told a rally in Nyanga, just three days before the elections. “You must accept it. If Zanu PF wins you must accept it, if you (MDC) win we will accept,” he said.

On election day, he reiterated his assertions, saying he would not sleep with a “clear conscience” knowing he had won the elections through rigging. “There was no language of rigging in this country until the (arrival of the) MDC,” he said in Nyanga.

What surprises me now is that up to 12 days, no Presidential results have been announced. Who is not accepting defeat?

So what became of Mugabe’s promise that they would accept the election results? Where are those results? Why has the ZEC stopped the pretense of scrutinising them?

At times I wonder what is really taking place in our beloved country Zimbabwe. It appears there is no one controlling one another. Who is in charge then – war vets, soldiers, ZEC, the police, the courts, Zanu PF, MDC, or Zimbabweans who participated in the presidential elections?

Surely, having voted some days if not weeks ago, whoever is said to be in-charge is delaying saying who won and who lost the race publicly. I must mention though that the race was clear to everyone on the terraces (voters), seeing who was leading who. The whole process was like standing naked in glaring sunlight against a white wall.

It was so clear and transparent that some even celebrated their victory before the official announcement by whoever is in charge.